Friday, May 18, 2007

Amy Winehouse

Yet another talented UK vocalist taking her cues from the past, but with a modern twist: Amy Winehouse. Winehouse's 2nd album, Back to Black, freshens up the classic soul albums with original songs done in the style of the 1950/60's girl groups.

New Yorker Magazine got it just right -- "a fierce English performer whose voice combines the smoky depths of a jazz chanteuse with the heated passion of a soul singer." I hate when people compare a new performer with the greats, but you can say that stylistically, she falls between Billie Holiday and Ronnie Spector.

This is the fourth musician we've spotlighted, who have gone retro -- delving into an older genre and freshening it up (Bitter:Sweet, James Hunter and Joss Stone were the first three). Except for Bitter:Sweet, they all seem to hail from England.

There's a good interview here and 4 videos of acoustic versions of her songs after the jump (I cannot link to AOL's DL as its a terribly annoying site)

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Here's a stripped down acoustic version of Valerie, that does a nice job showing off her voice:

TrackBack

» Amy Winehouse Crosses The Pond from Mr. Besilly's Blog
British import Amy Winehouse has hit the states with an unmistakable thud on her second album Back To Black. Right from the opening beat of You Know I'm No Good, I was captivated by this pint sized soul, jazz and RB singer songwriter from North London.... [Read More]

Tracked on May 19, 2007 1:28:10 PM

Comments

You have selected some great clips to preview becuase they are raw and really display Amy's old soul and amzing voice. I love this record even though it's a guilty pleasure.

This is Amy's first U.S. release, but I'm convinced it's headed for being an enduring classic, sure to be included in the list of 2007 Grammy nominations. Place this CD front and center in your collection, mix up a pair of perfect rum drinks and let Amy Winehouse do the rest.